Chapter 40
Metropolis
Clark was just about to take off for Utah when an explosion rocked downtown Metropolis. The crisis with Nathan was a priority one emergency, but this was his town and it was only a few blocks away. He was torn, but couldn't let more innocence die if he could help. Signaling the Watchtower, he informed Jonn of the current situation in Metropolis and promised to get to Bonneville as soon as possible. Taking to the air, he could see that the explosion was at the central branch of Metropolis' largest bank. As the smoke cleared, he saw the culprit, Toyman. He was dressed as a ringmaster of a circus riding on top of a plastic toy calliope.
"On Top of the World, Ma!" He shouted, firing his toy cannons again at the side of the bank. Toy circus clowns in tiny cars circled around him, while toy acrobats somersaulted back and forth. Clark really didn't feel like dealing with him at the moment, but had no choice.
"Give it up, Toyman."
"Damn it, don't you super types every take a siesta?" Toyman shouted in frustration. He quickly glanced around Superman, as if he was looking for something. He nervously turned to Superman.
"Please, tell me the witch isn't with you," Toyman said, his voice almost pleading.
"No," Clark said, the hurt still close to the surface.
"Thank you, Saint Beatrix," Toyman said in relief.
"Who?"
"Saint Beatrix, patron saint of broken toys," he replied. When Superman gave him a look, he seemed to get offended. "What? Did you think I was a heathen or something?"
"Look, Toyman, I really don't have time for this,' Clark said to him.
"You're dismissing me too? Revenge is mine!" Toyman scowled and then fired his cannons. Superman easily caught them out of the air and dropped them on his calliope. It made a sad noise as it crumbled.
"Everybody's a music critic," Toyman lamented as he ejected from his seat. He pulled the ripcord on his toy parachute, but before he could land, Superman caught him. Toyman looked at him and could see something different in his eyes. There was a deep sadness that couldn't be missed.
"Winslow, do you remember the last time in the park," Clark said to him.
"How could I forget it? I was puking for days."
"Nathan, the person I was fighting has launched another attack."
"The creepy, scary guy?" Toyman felt a shiver go down his spine as he remembered his forced journey through several parallel dimensions.
"Yes, Winslow, only this time he's much more powerful and wants to do to the whole Earth what he did to us."
"Oh, my God," Toyman gasped in horror. They landed and stood looking at each other.
"I need to stop him, Winslow, but I can't do that while you're robbing the bank. So I'm asking you as one man to another, to stop," Clark said. Toyman could see the sincerity in Superman's eyes. Sure, he was a villain, but he never wanted to destroy the world.
"Go, Superman, stop him. We can do this another time."
"Thank you Winslow," Clark said. "I have your word?"
"Yes."
"No fingers crossed, right?"
"Son of a bitch! All right, I give my word; I'll even fix the bank wall! Satisfied?"
"Thank you, Winslow," Superman said and then took off straight up at incredible speed. Toyman watched him disappear before turning back to his toys.
"All right, my merry band, let's put in all back," Toyman commanded. "My word is my bond."
The toy clowns and acrobats began the pick up the bricks and take them back to the bank wall. Toyman stood watching them for a moment and then looked up. A shiver of fear went down his spine as thunder rumbled across the ominous looking sky.
"Save the world, Superman, please."
The Excelsior
Zatanna entered the hotel still in emotional turmoil. She kept telling herself she was doing this to protect him, to keep him safe, but even as she did, her heart broke a little more. She barely noticed the looks of concern the employees gave her as she walked across the lobby. They had all come to know and like her in her stay with them. It was plain for all of them to see she was in pain. Pressing the button for the elevator, Zee stood there soaking wet, her mascara running down her face. The elevator opened and as she looked up, Carmen was standing there. The young Hispanic maid took one look at her friend and stepped over and pulled Zatanna into a hug. Some of the little control Zee still had gave at that moment. She began to cry. Carmen just held her, letting it all come out as the elevator doors closed.
Bonneville Salt Flats
The once pristine landscape was beginning to change. The monster that Nathan had become stretched out its tentacles and plunged them into the earth. His eyes are closed, his face a horrible mask. The pure white salt became to ripple and change color, spreading out faster and faster. The soldiers move out from the center in every direction. Their slime trails adding to the transformation. The skies above change to match the transforming landscape. Clouds obscure the sun, as streaks of lightening flash all around. It begins to rain, a hard drenching rain. The drops were red, as if the skies were weeping blood. Suddenly a craft breaks through the cloud cover. The Javelin streaks down towards Nathan and the soldiers. The launch bay opens. Lantern and Shayera lead a group of heroes into the skies above. Several soldiers spray the black tar at the arriving heroes. Mr. Terrific expertly maneuvers the plane, but some of the tar hits the wing and begins to burn through the metal. An inhuman scream comes from Nathan and then his mouth opens and sprays more of the black tar. The javelin banks hard, barely able to avoid the deadly stream. Another craft breaks through the cloud cover firing directly at Nathan. The Bat plane moves at astonishing speed as it takes the fight directly to Nathan. It zooms by him, strafing as it goes. As the plane turns, the rear hatch opens and Wonder Woman appears. She carries a magical sword and shield. With a battle cry, Diana launches herself at Nathan.
As she is about to make contact, one of the giant tentacles lashes out, knocking her from the sky. Diana lands hard, but there is no time to waste, as soldiers swarm towards her. Up close these monstrosities are even more frightening and hideous. Ropes of the black bile shoot out at her, but her shield intercepts them. Diana can hear the sizzle of the corrosive slime eating away at the metal. It doesn't stop her, as she launches a counter attack against the soldiers with her sword.
Jonn phases through the hull of the Javelin and moves down to join the battle. Between him, Batman and Mr. Terrific they are coordinating strategy for the heroes. The soldiers pose a problem for the Javelin to land. Scanning them to see if he can somehow influence their movements, he is shocked to find there is no humanity left within these creatures. They are truly demons. Jonn will have to use the direct approach to counter them. He swoops down and tries to phase through one of the soldiers. The moment he comes into contact with the demon's gelatinous flesh, his body rebels. Agony shoots through his system as if he were being set on fire.
Mr. Terrific is monitoring all of this as he struggles to control the plane. He knows the Javelin won't remain airborne much longer as the black tar continues to eat into the wing. He needs to land quickly and aid Jonn. Strafing the soldiers with the Javelin guns, Mr. Terrific creates a temporary landing spot. He sets the craft down and the outer door opens. Wally is only a blur as he immediately goes to rescue Jonn. Ollie and Dinah do their best to lay down cover, even as Wally returns to the ship. Soldiers continue to move on their position.
On a rise above the Javelin's position, the air shimmers and the magical members of the League appear. Dr. Fate, his wife Inez, Jason Blood, The Enchantress, the Shining Knight and Dr. Occult survey the landscape and then launch themselves into action. They begin to cast spells to create a parameter around the Javelin and the other heroes. It gives Lantern some much needed time to use his ring to create a trench. The Shining Knight mounts his steed and sets out against the soldiers. His mystical sword is the perfect weapon for confronting the troops. The battle has been joined.
On a cliff overlooking the battlefield, two figures stand watching. Morgaine le Fey is wearing her golden armor again, including the mask. Zod stands stoically next to her. He wears a grey coverall with his house emblem on it and a long grey coat. A magical sword hangs at his side.
"It's worst then I imagined." There is a tremor of fear and worry in Morgaine's voice as she surveys the scene. "Nathan has summoned the nightmare into himself. He must be stopped."
"Patience," Zod advised. "Let the heroes do their work. This is not our fight and it holds little interest for me. Our opportunity will come."
Morgaine looks over at him to see the cold, stoic expression on his face. She is glad she wears her mask, so he can't see her reaction.
The Excelsior
Carmen and Zatanna enter her room. Carmen still has her arm around her, offering comforting words. The tears are still fresh in Zatanna's eyes as she gazes around the empty, sterile space. Where once she loved the perceived luxury of living in hotels, now it all seems so hollow. Her breath catches in her throat as she sees her League communicator flashing. Stealing herself, Zee slip out of Carmen's comforting embrace and walks slowly over to it. There's a message from Bruce informing her of Nathan's attack. A tremor of fear goes through her as she listens to it. Her mind instantly goes to the Tarot reading and it's warning to her. Is this the time already that she will make her mistake?
"Let the others go, Zee, you're in no shape for that kind of thing," Carmen consuls. For the briefest moment, Zatanna considers this.
"No, I can't run away this time," she replies.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, but thank you, Carmen," Zee says to her. The two young women hug and then Carmen leaves the room. Her nerves still on edge, Zatanna grimly changes into her costume. Standing in the center of her room, she takes a deep breath. Zee is more frightened than she has ever been in her life, but she wills herself not to turn away.
"LLEH S'NAHTAN OT!" She says aloud and then transports from the hotel.
Bonneville Salt Flats
Nathan's tentacles have claimed another prize, knocking the Bat plane from the sky. Bruce manages to take out two of the tentacles and quite a few soldiers as he crashes the damaged plane. He ejects at the last minute, somersaulting in the air and landing ready for the next attack. On the ground now, Batman fights desperately against the soldiers. They seem to move at him from all sides. Every weapon at his disposal comes into use to slow them down. His body armor offers a little protection, but not much. All around him chaos rules the day. Through his earpiece he can hear the rest of the League is facing similar problems. The heroes are barely holding their own against the demon soldiers. He will not relent. The soldiers' touch is toxic as is the bile they spew. It burns through everything. As if this weren't enough of an obstacle, the very lightening seems to be attacking them. It must be under Nathan's control somehow, Bruce thinks, even as he fights his way through the soldiers.
Jonn has recovered enough to aid his teammates. On his advice they have put on protective gear to offset the acidic nature of the black bile. Wally and Shayera take the fight to the soldiers. Her mace pounds again and again at them. It's very nature disrupting them, killing them. Wally is a blur all over the battlefield. He moves so fast the black tar doesn't touch him. Creating whirlwinds in the air, soldiers are sucked away from the heroes and thrown back towards their master. Others he vibrates through, disrupting their very essence.
The deepest penetration of all the heroes is Wonder Woman. Diana wades through the soldiers relentless moving towards Nathan. The soldiers lash out at her, burning her, cutting into her flesh, yet she doesn't relent. They slow her down, as more and more move against her. Her sword and shield are death to everything that stands in her way.
John fights from above, using his ring to create a huge bulldozer. He clears a path through he soldiers, but more move in to take their place. He tries to shield the others on the ground, pushing his ring to its limits. The lightening is a constant threat and he keeps one weary eye on the heavens.
The magical members of the League are having a little more success. The very nature of their powers helps counteract the soldiers. Enchantress and Dr. Fate cast spells that shift the soldiers to other dimensions. Even nightmares like the soldiers are helpless in those chaotic realms. Dr. Occult tries to make his way to his son. As he wards off the soldiers, he mentally tries to make contact with Nathan. His mind is relentless as it pushes harder and harder, trying to get through to his flesh and blood. Barrier after barrier is thrown up against this. Occult will not stop, as this is too important. He can't feel anything of his boy and a chill runs down his spine.
The heroes fight desperately and heroically, but nothing has been able to slow Nathan down. The transformation of the landscape has continued and begins to accelerate. The vast expanses of salt have already been transformed into a wasteland of fire and ash. Fissures begin to appear across the surface and the lava begins to spill out. The transformation has spread far beyond the salt flats and begins to stretch out across the continent. Nathan's monstrous tentacles continue to drive deeper and deeper into the earth, while the sky above reflects what is happening on the land. The blood rain only continues to fall harder and harder.
Suddenly two beams of red cut through the clouds and hit Nathan. Up until now, his eyes have remained closed in concentration. They snap open as pain lances through his twisted, grotesque body. An unholy scream erupts from him as the beams continue to pound away. His distorted body thrashes and shudders under the assault. He lashes out blindly, firing a huge stream of black tar across the sky. All the heroes have heard his scream and as they look up a figure breaks through the clouds. It hangs in the air, pounding away at him. Lightening flashes and the figure is revealed. Superman. He dodges the corrosive bile and shifts his heat vision to the tentacles, severing them one by one. Nathan turns his eyes up towards Superman and screams. From the ominous clouds, lightening flashes out in all directions. The strongest charge finds its mark, hitting Clark directly in the chest. Its unnatural power envelops him, bringing a scream from his lungs.
On the rise above the battlefield, Zatanna appears. She stands frozen in horror at the sight laid out before her. Her mind struggles to comprehend what she sees. Suddenly her attention is drawn to the sky. Her breath catches in her throat as she sees Superman take the full brunt of the lightening.
"Clark!" She screams in horror, as she watches him writhe in agony and then drop like a stone. Lightening continues to hit him again and again. Below, soldiers move towards the spot he will drop, ready to envelop him. Her mind in a panic, Zatanna automatically raises her arms and casts a spell. It ripples out in waves, sweeping the soldiers away from Clark. They shimmer and thrash before disappearing from the landscape. John stretches out a large green hand to catch Superman before he can crash into the earth. He creates a force field all around Clark to shield him for the constant lightening strikes. Witnessing this, a rage from deep inside Zatanna begins to build. A grimace comes to her lips as she shifts her eyes from Clark to Nathan. He has made her life a living hell in the past weeks and her anger continues to build.
"NIAP!" she screams and casts a powerful incantation at Nathan. It hits him full on, burning through his putrid flesh. His massive body shudders and sways, yet doesn't topple. His mouth opens in a scream and the black bile spews out towards Zatanna. She barely manages to raise a mystical shield before it hits. It takes all her concentration to maintain it. Other heroes seize on this opportunity and turn their assault on Nathan. Diana has managed to hack her way closer to him and begins to severe the tentacles thrust into the earth. Batarangs fly, digging into his body before they explode. Shayera follows Diana's lead and pounds away at the tentacles with her mace. Dinah unleashes a powerful sonic scream that shakes the very ground Nathan is on. The twin beams of fire once against erupt from Clark's eyes burning limb from limb. The others lay cover for them, keeping the soldiers at bay. Just as it seems the tide is turning, Nathan swipes his arm across the landscape issuing an incredibly powerful spell.
"Fear!" He shouts, even as the very air begins to shimmer. The spell hits all the heroes at the same time. Screams are ripped from each of their souls.
On the hilltop above the battlefield, Morgaine gasps in horror.
"He's unleashed each of their worst fears on them," she shouts. She starts to make a move towards Nathan, but Zod stops her.
"Let it play out," he calmly says and then turns back to watch. Morgaine looks at him. A shudder runs down her spine at just how cold the man standing next to her truly is.
Diana suddenly finds herself underwater. The water is crystal clear and as she gazes frantically around her, she sees just how deep she is. There is no time to lose. Her lungs burn as she claws her way upwards. She gasps, gulping oxygen as she finally breaks the surface. The sound of battle fills her ears. As she turns her head, she sees the shoreline. There is something so familiar about it. As a distant scream reaches her ear, she suddenly realizes this is Themyscira, her home and it's under attack. The water seems to sap her strength and she can't rise above it. Desperately she begins to swim towards the shore. The capital comes into the view and she can see the fires all around it. It seems to take forever for her to reach the beach. Exhausted she begins to crawl her way out of the surf and towards the city.
With each movement forward it grows harder and harder to move. First her hands and knees, then her arms and legs sink deeper and deeper into the sand. Diana gasps in horror as she sees several of her sisters desperately fighting against the invaders. Willing herself on, she tries to move to their aid, but the sand has trapped her. The very clay she was created from seems to be reclaiming her. Immobilized on her hands and knees she can only watch in horror as a tall, broad figure steps out onto the beach. Heracles smiles an evil smile at her.
"Soon all your sisters will be in a similar position, Princess." He mocks her and then turns to her fighting sisters. Diana shakes her head, trying to deny what she is seeing, but the realization hits her. This is the subjugation of the Amazons. She is helpless and has to watch it unfold right before her eyes. She screams in horror as she watches her sisters fall one by one.
Batman lands hard on the pavement, feeling his lower leg snap on impact. Wincing against the pain he struggles to stand. Glancing around him, he finds himself on a city street. This is an illusion, an apparition, he tells himself. As his eyes survey the surrounds they stop on the marquee of the theatre across the street. A cold chill runs through his veins as he sees the title on it. NO, it isn't real, he shouts to himself. This is all a lie! Then he sees them. His breath catches and his heart sputters. Exiting the theatre is his parents. His mind screams at him not to believe what he is seeing, but his heart races at the sight of them alive. He can see the smiles on their faces as they lovingly chat with each other. Almost against his will, Bruce reaches his hand out towards them. They don't see him and continue walking. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees movement. A man runs quickly into the alley across the way. As he moves through the single light, he turns and smiles directly at Bruce.
"No!" Bruce screams as he instantly recognizes the man. It is the killer of his parents alive again. Frantically, Bruce looks back at his parents only to see them turn and head into the alley. He starts towards them, dragging his useless leg. He's moving too slowly, as his mind replays the terrifying scenario over and over. He can hear the sound of shouting as he reaches the mouth of the alley. Pushing himself forward, he sees his parents being held at gunpoint by the criminal. Bruce shakes his head no, but the criminal looks at him and smiles. A scream is ripped from Bruce's soul as the sound of two gunshots ring out through the night air.
Shayera finds herself strapped into a command chair with an instrument panel layout before her. She's on some sort of starship, she realizes. As her eyes scan the controls she realizes they are in her native language. Suddenly the view screen in front of her comes to life. She gasps in shock as the image of her home world comes into view. Reaching over instantly, she presses the communications button and tries to contact the military command. At first there is only static, but then messages start to cut through. They are garbled and she can't make sense of them. As she begins to try again, two words cut through the static crystal clear, Gordanians and attack. No, no, no, Shayera shouts, pressing more buttons on the ships controls. Nothing seems to work. A flash on the screen gets her attention. She cries out in horror as an energy pulse hits the capital city. Another pulse hits and then another. As she watches helplessly, the view screen pulls out further and now she see the Gordanian armada circling her world. Frantically she tries to signal her people, to fire the ship's weapons, to ram the nearest Gordanian ship, but nothing works. A tear of helplessness comes to her eye as she watches the Gordanians open fire on her world. She can do nothing but watch her world die before her eyes.
Clark finds himself face down in a field. As he rises, he sees he's in some sort of grasslands, much like his Kansas home. The sound of voices makes him turn. Standing in front of him are his Kryptonian parents, Jor-El and Lara. They smile at him and he feels his heart skip a beat. A smile spreads across his face as he moves towards them. Just when they about in reach, they begin to wither. Panic grips Clark as he reaches for them. He watches in horror as they decay before his eyes and then collapse into dust. Clark falls to his knees, sifting his fingers through the dust that is all that remains of them. A tear comes to his eye.
"It's the way of the world, boy. It's your destiny," a familiar voice says. Clark looks up to see Jonathan Kent standing over him.
"Pa?"
His Earth father smiles at him. Jonathan gestures behind him. Clark turns to see what he's pointing to and gasps as all the people in his life are standing in the field. Clark turns back to ask a question of Jonathan, but is shocked to see him aging rapidly.
"No!" Clark screams, but can do nothing as the man withers and dies before his eyes again. Panic overwhelms Clark as he watches this happen. He turns to the others and one by one they follow Jonathan's example. Friends from childhood, neighbors, coworkers, teammates, one by one they each grow old and die before Clark's eyes, turning to dust. Three figures remain, Lana, Lois, and Zatanna. One by one, they turn and walk away from him, leaving him alone. As they vanish from view, tombstones replace all the dead. Clark finds himself in the middle of a vast cemetery that stretches out for as far as the eye can see.
"No! No! NO!" He screams in despair, pounding the earth with is fists.
"You can't fight time, son," a soft, comforting voice whispers to him. With tears in his eyes, Clark looks up to see Martha Kent smiling at him. "It's your destiny."
"Ma?" He whispers. As he reaches for her, her skin begins to crack, as age lines begin to appear. Each second seems to be ten years to her. Her once vibrant body withers and then collapses in on itself. The smile on her gentle lips disappears as she turns to dust before his eyes. Clark collapses to the ground, tears pouring down his face. The only sound that can be heard is his lonely agony.
Zatanna looks around to find she's in a theater dressing room. She can hear the buzz of the crowd and knows the show will begin soon. Glancing at her reflection in the lighted mirror, she is surprised by how much younger she appears.
"It's almost time," a soft voice says behind her. "We need to do your make up."
Before she can protest a powder puff comes towards her face. Instinctively she closes her eyes. She can feel it move all over her skin and when she opens her eyes again, she see herself even younger, her face pure white.
"No," Zatanna says, shaking her head. The door opens and Rose and Madame Xanadu step inside smiling.
"It's time," Xanadu says, "The ceremony is about to begin."
"No, not again."
They pay her no mind and usher her through the door. It's the same nightmare she had before. Zatanna struggles against it even harder, but the same series of events happen. She screams and protests but can't stop them. Again she finds herself in a church, dressed as a bride. As before Zatanna turns to looks back at her parents. Something has changed. Her father is still in a tuxedo, but it's the one he always wore on stage. Her mother, Sindella stands next to him, wearing a white flowing gown, her blonde hair cascading down around her shoulders.
"Mom? Dad? I don't understand," she says to them.
"We have little time, child,' her mother replies. "You have to take the next step."
"I don't understand," Zee says, tears coming to her eyes.
"Zatanna, we love you, but we are your past.' Her father says to her. "We will always be with you, but now you must move on."
They begin to fade and slip away from her.
"No! Please don't go, I need you," she screams in fear.
"No, our work is done," her father, tells her.
"You must take the next step in life, my daughter or remain trapped by fear forever," her mother adds. Zee makes a desperately lunge towards them but they are gone. Fresh sobs rack her body as she lands hard on the ground. As she slowly looks up, she sees that the nightmare has ended and she is back on the Salt Flats.
All around her she can see her teammates. Some are screaming and writhing in agony, while others simple cry in despair. She knows they are all trapped in their own personal nightmare and fear. A cruel, unearthly laugh resounds across the landscape. As she looks up she see Nathan reveling in the torment he is causing. Wiping her eyes, Zatanna rises to her feet. Nathan's eyes turn towards her and there is a look of pure evil in them. Rage like nothing she has ever experienced consumes Zatanna. She begins to levitate, power rippling through her. Nathan fires a volley of the black bile at her, but with a wave of her hand she turns it back on him. Her eyes catch sight of Clark on his knees weeping. The rage she feels crystallizes in that moment and she summons all the magic she knows and casts it at Nathan. He raises a shield against, but she doesn't relent, pouring all her heart and soul into it.
High above the plain, Morgaine has been watching this all play out. She can feel the old evil at Nathan's command spreading further and further across the globe, transforming it. Her hopes raise as she sees the heroes mount an attack on him, but then are crushed by his counterattack. The conflict within her grows with each moment. Glancing over at Zod, she realizes just how true his statement was that he would let this world burn. When the promise of her restored beauty and youth were still in front of her, she believes she could do the same. Now, confronted with the pure evil Nathan seeks to unleash on the world, she knows this is not true. For all the villainy she has wrought over the centuries, this is still her world she realizes. She sees Zatanna rise from the ground and challenge Nathan. Morgaine's heart goes out to her as she watches the lone young woman face this nightmare. As she watches, a choice is made in Morgaine's mind.
"I can stand and watch now longer, Dru," she says to Zod. He slowly turns to her, his eyes cold and emotionless.
"I thought I could be like you and let this happen," she continues, "but I'm not like you. Although I have lived for centuries, this is still my world. I will not watch it die. I'm sorry, my love, but perhaps we were never meant to last."
He says nothing, just stands and looks at her. Morgaine removes her mask, revealing the tears in her eyes. She steps over to him and kisses him with all the passion within her. For a moment they are the only things in each other's world, but then she steps back. Tears roll down her beautiful face as she looks at him one last time.
"Good bye, Dru," she says. Pulling her golden mask into place she launches herself off the cliff and heads down towards Zatanna.
As Zatanna continues to pour all she has at Nathan, the soldiers begin to move on her position. Their black bile streams out, lashing against her legs and arms, burning her, but she doesn't relent. She can feel the closest soldier stretch out its viscous hand. It burns her as it slithers around her ankle. She screams in pain, but wills herself to continue. Just as it seems the soldiers will overwhelm her, the air around her begins to shimmer. Suddenly the soldiers begin to scream and thrash in agony.
"Return to the hell from which you came," a voice cries behind her. The soldiers erupt, torn apart by this new magic. They disappear, leaving Zatanna free to continue her assault on Nathan. Glancing to the side, Zee sees Morgaine le Fey land next to her. Her first instinct is to prepare herself for an attack, but Morgaine calms her fears.
"Keep up your attack on Nathan, I will add my strength to yours." Morgaine tells her. "This obscenity must come to an end!"
The two women of magic stand shoulder to shoulder and turn all their skill and strength against a common cause, Nathan. He fights back, all the hate and evil in his soul turned towards them. Their magic begins to slip through the cracks in his defenses. His monstrous body begins to twist and writhe under their combined assault. Slowly their magic begins to transform him back into his human form, while stripping away the vestiges of Cthulhu. The ground beneath their feet trembles, as sweat pours off their bodies, yet they don't relent. With grim determination, Zatanna and Morgaine use every bit of strength they have against him. The lightening begins to move towards them ominously, but then a green shield engulfs them. One by one the other heroes are coming out of their nightmares. With a cry that shakes the landscape, Nathan focuses all his black magic on one massive discharge. The air around him catches fire, as he fires a bolt of mystical energy at Zatanna and Morgaine. John's shield shatters and the two women feel the full impact of the bolt. They scream as their systems are overloaded and collapse to the ground.
The air clears around Nathan and he is back in human form.
"I will kill you all!" He screams, energy rippling all around him. One solitary figure walks towards him. Rose Psychic is battered and bloody. The rain beats down on her as she makes her way to her son.
"Please, Nathan," she whispers in desperation. "Don't do this, please, I love you."
Nathan turns towards her, energy rippling off his body. Their eyes lock and for that brief moment, the small part of Nathan that is still human awakens.
"Mom?" He barely whispers.
In the next moment, everything changes. Something moves with blinding speed from behind Nathan. As he stretches out his hand towards his mother, his body suddenly lurches forward. His eyes open wide in shock and blood spurts from his lips. The tip of a sword emerges from his chest. His legs give out under him and for a moment he dangles helplessly at the end of the sword.
"NO!" Rose screams, but it's already too late. Nathan's body begins to shake, as his eyes grow blank. The heroes watch as he begins to vibrate like one of the believers and then explode. A vortex forms around him and begins to suck all his magic back into the earth. Soldiers scream in protest as they are ripped from the earth and pulled down the magical black hole. As quickly as it begins, it ends, the magic of Cthulhu has returned to its rightful master. Rose collapses down to the ground overwhelmed by grief. The others heroes struggle to their feet as the smoke clears. Standing there holding the sword is Zod.
"Zod?" Superman gasps, shocked to see his enemy.
"Yes, Kal-El," Zod says with a cold smile. "I did what you were unwilling or unable to do. What a pathetic excuse for a Kryptonian you are, boy. Your father would weep if he saw you kneeling before Zod."
Clark struggles to stand, preparing for Zod's next move. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Zatanna and Morgaine struggling to rise, helping each other. Zod's eyes follow Clark's and see the two women. The women cling to each other, the battle taking its toll on both of them. As if with the same thought, both women look over at the Kryptonians. Regret, grief and sadness fill them both. Finally Morgaine turns away from Zod and pulls Zatanna along with her. Zee takes one last look at Clark. There is a tear in her eye, but words won't come. She lets Morgaine lead her away.
Zod and Superman stand several feet away from each other watching the two women in their lives walk away. Sadness fills them both. Zod glances over at Clark and sees the look in his eyes as he watches Zatanna leave.
"Perhaps there is some true Kryptonian in you after all, Kal-El," Zod says softly. "It seems we share a weakness for magic."
Metropolis
The sound of the storms raging fill the warehouse and the lightening and thunder rattle it's walls. Toyman feels the fear that has spread through the city as the ominous clouds and storms rage. It's been a long time, but slowly he drops to his tiny knees and begins to pray. He prays for the heroes, for his world and it's inhabitants. As he continues, suddenly the sound of silence fills the room. Rising, he moves over to the windows and opens them. Stepping out on the balcony, he looks up to see the ominous clouds break and sunlight come streaming through. A smile lights up his eyes.
"Son of a bitch! They did it! They saved the world!"
